He was already approaching that point, on the day when Lushington was

looking out for him on the road through the Fausses Reposes woods. When

they were well away from the city, he slackened his speed as usual and

began to talk.

'I wish,' he said, 'that you would sometimes be in earnest. Won't you

try?' 'You might not like it,' Margaret answered, carelessly. 'For my part, I

sometimes wish that you were not quite so much in earnest yourself!' 'Do I bore you?' 'No. You never bore me, but you make me feel wicked, and that is very

disagreeable. It is inconsiderate of you to give me the impression that

I am a sort of Lorelei, coolly luring you to your destruction! Besides,

you would not be so easily destroyed, after all. You are able to take

care of yourself, I fancy.' 'Yes. I think my heart will be the last of me to break.' He laughed and

looked at her. 'But that is no reason why you should try to twist my

arms and legs off, as boys do to beetles.' 'I wish I could catch a boy doing it!' 'You may catch a woman at it any day. They do to men what boys do to

insects. Cruelty to insects or animals? Abominable! Shocking! There is

the society, there are fines, there is prison, to punish it! Cruelty to

human beings? Bah! They have souls! What does it matter, if they

suffer? Suffering purifies the spirit for a better life!' 'Nonsense!' 'That is easily said. But it was on that principle that Philip burned

the Jews, and they did not think it was nonsense. The beetles don't

think it funny to be pulled to pieces, either. I don't. A large class

of us don't, and yet you women have been doing it ever since Eve made a

fool and a sinner of the only man who happened to be in the world just

then. He was her husband, which was an excuse, but that's of no

consequence to the argument.' 'Perhaps not, but the argument, as you call it, doesn't prove anything

in particular, except that you are calling me names!' Margaret laughed

again. 'After all,' she went on, 'I do the best I can to be--what shall

I say?--the contrary of disagreeable! You ask me to let you take me to

my rehearsals, and I come day after day, risking something, because you

are disguised. I don't risk much, perhaps--Mrs. Rushmore's disapproval.

But that is something, for she has been very, very good to me and I

wouldn't lose her good opinion for a great deal. And you ask me to

lunch with you, and I come--at least, I've been twice to your house,

and I've lunched once. Really, if you are not satisfied, you're hard to

please! We've hardly known each other a month.' 'During which time I've never had but one idea. Don't raise your

beautiful eyebrows as if you didn't understand!' He spoke very gently

and smiled, though she could not see that.




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